Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Well, what a lot we've been up to since I last blogged! We've been on holiday to glorious St Ives in Cornwall and also to sunny Wales; we endured a week in when Little Treasure caught chicken pox (we did a lot of crafting!); we've read books, been on day trips and shouted "hooray" when the sun came out! Now that the weather's gone a little gloomy (I'm not down-hearted...just trying to remember where I stashed my raincoat!), my thoughts are once again turning to all things crafty and creative. I've got lots of projects waiting to be finished, not least because The Wednesday Group is having an exhibition in September and I have much to do before then.

There's another reason for wanting to get my sewing machine, threads and fabrics out...have you seen 'The Belle and Boo Book of Craft'? It's FABULOUS!

We're huge fans of Belle and Book in our house so I'm thrilled that I'll now be able to make lots of Belle and Boo-related things for Little Treasure. There are 25 to choose from...the only problem is knowing which one to start with!

In case you've not come across Belle and Boo before, they're the creation of Mandy Sutcliffe, an artist with an eye for the nostalgic and all the things that children love to do. Her illustrations are truly wonderful. Belle is 'a little girl with a brown bob, the odd scratch on her knee and an insistent curiosity about the natural world'. Her pet rabbit is a flopsy brown bunny called Boo and together they spend their days playing in pirate tree houses, riding fairground carousels and cloud-spotting.

The book has a lovely feel to it and has lots of Mandy's adorable illustrations dotted amongst its pages...

The little girl who models as Belle in the book looks exactly like Mandy's illustrations! The projects in this book are really lovely...there are genuinely so many that I want to try. This one's for a cuddly version of Boo that I think anybody (both big and small) would love to give a home to! Here are some more of the projects I've got on my 'to do' list...

Now here's an idea for making bathtime and hand washing time even more appealing for little people.

Oh, how I LOVE this pull along elephant!

I'm really into English pieced patchwork at the moment so I was really inspired by this project.

Perfect for little ballerinas!

Little Treasure is already showing signs of being a budding photographer and she also loves nothing more than a new bag (she's such a girly girl!), so I think the first project I tackle will be this brilliant little camera bag. Say cheese!

Besides the camera bag, this is my favourite project in the whole book. It's for a 'Quiet Book', made from fabric and with all sorts of things for little people to explore...

...there are flaps to lift, buttons to count, a tiny washing line with clothes to peg on to it and even a bunny finger puppet.

The instructions for each project are laid out really well, with lots of step-by-step photos and diagrams to help you on your way. At the beginning of each project there's a handy list of everything you'll need and the instructions themselves are written in an easy -to-follow manner (which I know I'll find really useful as I sometimes get completely flummoxed by sewing instructions!)

There are even 4 pages of techniques in case there's anything you're not sure about...

...as well as all the templates you'll need for the projects.

I hope you'll love this book as much as I do! Now, where did I put my needle and thread?...

I'm dotty about textiles. I love fabric, buttons, vintage fashion and scouring the country for vintage textile treasures. I have my own company (aptly named after my blog!), selling the vintage-inspired textile pieces I hand make myself, as well as all sorts of vintage sewing and textiles-related treasures that I find on my travels. I'm a freelance writer in the fabulous world of textiles too and I couldn't resist writing my own blog about the things I love the most...